This invention relates to a one-piece reinforced paperboard box construction for cut-up meat, such as red meat, poultry and fish. This invention particularly relates to a reinforced box for relatively large quantities of meat, i.e., about 60 to 90 pounds. This invention is quite particularly concerned with a box for large pieces of cut-up meat, such as pork loins and pork butts.
One-piece paperboard box constructions for packaging large quantities of cut-up meat and the like are known in the art. Generally, such boxes are fabricated from a suitably cut and scored, corrugated paperboard material. Typically, the paperboard material is treated on one or both of its surfaces with a moisture and grease resistant barrier material, such as polyethylene. Also, in many cases, the boxes are provided with reinforced end and side walls, formed by multiple thicknesses of paperboard material.
However, the heretofore available reinforced box constructions for cut-up meat have not been entirely satisfactory for use in large scale meat packing operations. The boxes generally have not been well adapted to be set-up, filled with various size pieces of cut-up meat, and closed using adhesive materials on automatic high-speed machinery.
In particular, securely machine closing these boxes with adhesives has posed significant difficulties where large and irregular size pieces of meat are to be packed. It has not been possible, using automatic equipment, to assure that the boxes are filled to the top before being closed. As a result, the boxes frequently have not been filled to the top. The chief problem in closing such boxes, when not filled, has been in providing sufficient pressure between their closure flaps to adhesively bond the closure flaps together.
There has been a need, therefore, for a simple reinforced container construction which can be adhesively closed, even when not filled, and which is compatible with modern, high volume, meat packing operations.